Egypt's exports increased by 8 per cent in the first half of 2017 to record 11.1 billion dollars compared to 10.2 billion dollars during the same period in the previous year, Trade and Industry Minister Tareq Qabil said.

In a statement, Qabil said Egypt's imports also decreased by 30 per cent to hit 24 billion dollar versus 34 billion dollars during the same period in 2016.

The trade balance also went down by 46 per cent recording 13 billion dollars in the first half of 2017 compared to 24 billion dollars during the same period of 2016.

Qabil attributed this decrease in trade balance to the ministry's plan, which focused on increasing exports and reducing imports through supporting home-made industries.